A Fine Line Between Love, Friendship and Lust
by Serena McKeenzo
Summary: One night someone attacks Jekyll triggering a chain of unwanted events. Hyde is hellbent on revenge and a new mission takes the League to London, the place of many painful memories. Meeting a certain barber only adds to Jekyll's confusion. SLASH/crossover


**A/N: **I'm a freakish Jekyll-fan, and I mean the book. I only write in the LXG fandom, cause there're more characters to work with this way. Therefore I take some liberties with Jekyll's character and background, relying on Stevenson's book and also the musical. The fic'll be a crossover with Sweeney Todd, cause I like him. Period. And maybe I'll steal characters form other books as well, be prepared.  
**Disclaimer: **You think I own anything? Think again.

**Special thanks to my wonderful beta, Samurai Cat!**

**A Fine Line Between Love, Friendship and Lust**

**Chapter 1: Poor Thing, Poor Fool**

He lived his entire life in fear. Fear of failure, fear of exposure. Then fear of the gallows, fear of Hyde's evil. He grew so accustomed to being the one to cause pain that he'd never thought that any similar harm could come to him. He had enough troubles already. He'd gotten his share of pain, more than anyone would wish for. Hyde, and when he was silent, his conscience made sure of that.

It took him some time to realize what was happening to him. His wrists were bound to the headboard and his eyes blindfolded. Instinctively, he tried to free his hands but to no avail. He only earned a light chuckle from behind him. He froze as it slowly registered: tied to the bed, apparently naked, and with an unknown man _behind_ him. Again, he pulled at the ropes holding him, but they were too tightly tied, he was starting to hurt himself.

"Shh…" said the unknown man. "You don't want to scar that delicate skin of yours." And with that he took hold of Jekyll's wrists and stopped him from struggling. "Now be a good boy, and don't scream too loudly; we don't want the others to worry."

But he couldn't stop the sharp cry that escaped his lips when he felt that tell-tale pain in his backside.

"Now, aren't we disobedient?" said the unknown man softly. "Although I do love hearing your voice filled with pain, now is not the appropriate time. Come on Henry, at least_try_ to cooperate. You would actually enjoy yourself, if you'd only let me have my way"

_Yeah, like HE asked you to sneak into his room late in the night and tie him to bed while he's sleeping, you sick bastard! _

"Edward…" muttered Jekyll softly.

"Oh, so I woke him too? My deepest apologises, I did not mean to. But either way, there's not much he can do, is there? With your potions out of reach, even _he_ is defenceless against me. Poor doctor. I wonder how long he will shout obscenities at me in your head where no one can hear him except you."

A low chuckle followed and the man pushed into Jekyll hard. This time he tried to muffle his scream by burying his face into the pillows. _Shit, the bastard's right. There's no way you could get the serum in this position, that son of a bitch had made sure of that!_ A pair of smooth hands slid up on both of Henry's sides, caressing the sensitive skin there. His right hand started rubbing Henry's nipple, and the left one slid down on the doctor's stomach, past his waistline, and down between his legs. He whimpered as pleasure shot through his body.

_Damn it Henry, don't let him have his way with you! Don't give in to him! He's not only raping you, but humiliating you by making you enjoy this! He's playing with you, don't you see?_

"Edward… How… How to…?" but even if he wanted to he couldn't finish his sentence, because a strong hand pushed his face into the pillow.

"I hate being ignored" he said. "Especially when I do so much to please you."

He squeezed his left hand earning a sharp gasp from the doctor below him. Jekyll couldn't bear it any more and shamefully came on the hand of his attacker. The other man soon followed suit after a few powerful thrusts and moaning softly he released his seed in his victim.

"Well, thank you for the night." he said as he pulled out. "You have been only tolerable, even for a beginner. Next time I expect more," he leaned close and whispered into Jekyll's ear. "Good Night, doctor."

Suddenly the heat was gone from his back; the man had left, but not before pulling at his ties, loosening them. Jekyll fell onto the bed brokenly and started weeping. _Damn you Henry, no time for wailing, pull off the blindfold and see who it was!_ The doctor immediately jerked his hands free and ripped off the blindfold, partly because he was so used to obeying Hyde when in danger, and because he realized that this time he was right. But the rapist was already gone. He surveyed the room, everything was in order. _I don't know what you were expecting, that asshole only came for one thing. There was no use for him to mess up the room, he came, got what he wanted, and then he's gone without a trace._

"Just like you…" muttered the doctor tiredly as he lay down on his bed and curled up. He couldn't stop the tears running down his cheeks.

_You're off the point._

He couldn't think of anything, he felt broken and empty. It dawned on him in that moment how utterly alone he truly was. There was no one he could turn to at a time like this, no one who would comfort him without having to explain, to recall the painful memories. He squeezed his eyes shut as a sharp sob escaped his lips. He wanted to get away from the Nautilus, to have a place to go to, to be comforted and cared for and to be left alone with his pain and troubles. He realized he was trembling, not only the sobs shaking his body but also shivering from the cold. He automatically pulled the covers on top of himself, almost as if it wasn't him moving his hand. He felt a soothing sensation sweep over him, calming his nerves and easing his sobs. Soon he was falling asleep, drifting away from the painful reality.

_Sleep little prince. You had a hard day_.

* * *

The next day Dr. Henry Jekyll acted like it was any other day. No one found his behaviour suspicious or strange (at least not stranger than usual), except for looking a bit paler and more tired than normally. But those who paid more attention could notice small things like how he often grew silent suddenly, his eyes dimming, listening to something only he could hear. Most of them were used to this; after all, this only meant that he was listening to his alter ego, Hyde. But a few still noticed that some things were off; like how he didn't get frustrated as he usually did when Hyde was nagging at him but only listened calmly, sometimes nodding or sighing; almost as if they were having a decent conversation, which was quite an unusual occurrence. One of those careful observers was the stoic and silent Mrs. Mina Harker. She always kept an eye on the man, in case the good doctor decided to turn into a not-so-good brute. But she said nothing about it, just noted it in the back of her mind as a suspicious sign. The other was Nemo, captain of the Nautilus. He had to protect his crew, so he always kept his eyes open for signs of danger. And Jekyll himself was such a sign, especially in a depressive mood.

As the days passed Dr. Jekyll seemed to act more and more normally. No sudden mood-changes or suspicious silences. He appeared at meals as usual, worked quietly in his room as usual. And after some time everyone forgot about his temporary strange behaviour. But Henry Jekyll didn't. He was still wary of the others on board of the Nautilus. Anyone could have been his attacker (of course except the female crew members, but there weren't that many of them), Hyde constantly reminded him of that fact. He wanted revenge badly and it scared Jekyll. Hyde didn't want to be out.

No whore interested him, no prospect of murder made his blood boil, only the thought of seeing the attacker tortured and humiliated. He had countless plans of how he would make the man regret he ever laid eyes on Jekyll. And that is what was even scarier. Hyde didn't think about it as an offence against his own person but as the harming of his alter ego. Jekyll thought Hyde didn't care about him and viewed him as an obstacle only, but this proved him wrong. Hyde wanted revenge for _him_. The doctor didn't dare mention it, afraid of what Hyde's reaction would be, although probably he'd call Jekyll a weakling, tell him how he couldn't take care of his problems and how he needed his other side to protect him. But still, Hyde's behaviour was unnerving and Jekyll feared what would be the outcome. He couldn't shake off the feeling that it'd be him torturing and probably killing that man, not Hyde. After a while he started hoping that they'd never discover his identity.

* * *

Hyde was growing impatient. They hadn't made any progress in finding out who the attacker was and were running out of ideas how to do so. Hyde started considering plainly asking the League who did it.

"And actually how do you imagine that happening?" asked Jekyll one night when they were alone in his room. He usually didn't answer Hyde when there were others around for the sake of keeping up his façade. Not like it mattered on the ship, but the gentleman in him couldn't let himself act like a lunatic in company. "Standing up during dinner and saying: 'Okay who was that bastard who raped me about a month ago?'"

_Well, do you have any better ideas? We already checked who had a habit of going around and raping other men. Either something slipped our notice or the bastard's very good at hiding his true nature. You say you can't recognise the voice neither the manner of speech. What other options do we have?_

"Maybe we should simply give up? There's no way we'll find out who he was. So we should just… move on, forget about it."

_Forget about it? There's no way I'm gonna pretend nothing happened. I won't give up so easily! No one can mock me in such a way and go away unharmed! No one!_

"And may I ask in what way do you think he_mocked_ you? If I remember correctly it's me who's been humiliated."

_He fucked you, knowing well that I was there, and could do nothing about it without the damn potion! He took what's mine, right in front of my eyes!_

"Yours? Am I now being claimed as your property?"

A short, hardly noticeable silence passed between them before Hyde answered. But Jekyll was sharp, and that small pause made him wonder.

_You are my whining, good-for-nothing vermin who can't stand up for himself and whom I have to look after so I wouldn't have to listen to his wailing about how sad and hurt he is!_

"I am not whining now. I just now said that we should give it up. I'm prepared to move on." Jekyll said, thinking that he couldn't obviate being called a 'good-for-nothing vermin' by avoiding the subject of Hyde's unusual selflessness. Was it worth mentioning now? No, Hyde was already upset, no use making him even angrier… although it may shut him up for a while. But Jekyll doubted that Hyde hadn't realized it yet; he wasn't as stupid as he liked others to think.

_Give up? I'm NOT giving up, 'cause I'm not a squeaking little whelp hiding behind his mother's skirt like you are! I WILL find that bastard and make him regret that his mother ever spread her legs for his asshole of a father!_

"Have it your way." Jekyll sighed, defeated. No use arguing with Hyde, they were only going in circles. In the end they'd just get mad and start shouting at each other. And he had no wish for that.

Lying down on his bed and closing his eyes, Jekyll tried to relax. Maybe the devil he was hiding was right for once: he shouldn't let others use him and play their cruel games with him. But finding his attacker seemed like a lost cause; they had no more lead and too much time has passed already. The only way to gain more clues was if he visited him again as he implied he would. The thought made Jekyll shiver. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, just to avoid the memories that assaulted his mind. Probably that fiend was laughing at him right now; proud of how he successfully fooled Jekyll into thinking he was someone to be trusted on the outside and that the doctor had no idea who he was betrayed by. Anger flared in the Englishman. He wanted to reveal that sick pervert's secret, to make him pay. But he alone was not enough to accomplish his goal… He was just a pitiful coward after all, wasn't he? Jekyll turned onto his side sighing, and started picking on the threads of the bed cover.

"What do you think I should do, Edward?"

* * *

"I agree, her star is rising, soon she will be a widely acknowledged actress. But it's a pity the male lead's performance was so feeble, especially compared to her, which really took away from the play." said Jekyll, walking down the hallway to the dining hall. It was time for dinner which the League usually took together for the sake of keeping up the pretence of unity.

"On the contrary, I found his performance quite remarkable. He tried a strikingly different approach and it worked wondrously. His portrayal of the protagonist was therefore unique but in my opinion it really improved the play, for it severely needed some innovation and freshness."

On his way, the Englishman met up with the captain of the Nautilus, Nemo. He found out that the solemn man also took enjoyment in a night out at the theatre and though their tastes greatly differed there were still several shows seen by both to discuss. And therefore now they were engaged in a light gentlemanly chat about a very gentlemanly topic; the carefully conducted conversation of people of social standing. Jekyll himself had often taken pleasures in such activities before Hyde came into the picture.

"His portrayal was a rare treat I must admit – although I wonder how it is received by the wider audiences. I may be old-fashioned, but I prefer when classic plays are acted out exactly as the playwright imagined it – and I reckon the majority of theatre-goers think similarly. But of course there are roles which require the actor to add his own interpretation to the character for otherwise the performance can become dull and smattering."

It was all Hyde's idea: they needed the attacker to reveal himself somehow. They couldn't hope for a slip or a sign; they would have noticed something like that by now. Therefore they would lure him out, tempt him to do something again – but this time they'd be ready for it. The first step of the plan required Jekyll's long-forgotten socializing skills: the doctor would get into the good graces of the League and even Nemo's crew, acting like 'all those assholes are just filthy kids whining for sweets and you're the candy man ready to grant the little suckers' wishes' as Hyde has put it. The brute was sure this would tempt his attacker into another nightly visit, though he refused to elaborate on how he knew that.

"At any other time I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you on that," Nemo said after considering Jekyll's answer, "but in this case the daring reinterpretation of the male lead turned out marvellous. It was an interesting thought to emphasize the weaknesses of the hero highlighting his human characteristics. From this new point of view, his accomplishments seemed greater for he had no natural advantages to begin with."

"I have to disagree." said the doctor with a light shake of his head. Nemo looked at him, interest clearly written in his eyes. "His portrayal lacked the traits that made the protagonist so respectable and prodigious in my eyes. I expected to see a mighty hero, someone brave and masculine but instead I had to leave the theatre quite displeased." Jekyll heard a light snickering from his alter-ego. He made a mental note to ask what he had found so amusing when he had the chance. Usually he could only do that when he retired to his quarters at the end of the day, because he spent most of his waking moments socializing with the crew and the League.

"Yes, I can understand your views on that…" Nemo made a strange gesture which was too quick to make out exactly but enough to catch Hyde's attention. It was his task to observe the behaviour of the people on board and watch out for any suspicious signs while Jekyll was befriending them. Then each night they evaluated the day's happenings to see whether they could come up with a possible suspect but thus far they had been unsuccessful. "While we are on the subject of mighty and masculine heroes, have you seen _The Loss of the Hawk_, an epic drama by the playwright Jonathan Marcy? Although the play itself is only middle-class, the male lead's part has been written spectacularly, a perfect example of the type of protagonists you prefer yet with a touch of delicate wit that makes the performance worthy for a night's entertainment."

Jekyll thought about it for a while before answering. "I have not seen it yet but I have heard of Mr. Marcy. The success of his plays are quite varying. He always adds a twist or two to his works which sometimes can work well but at other times it can make the play pointless and overcomplicated. I suppose _The Loss of the Hawk_ is one of his better-written dramas?"

"Yes, I can confidently say that."

At that moment, they arrived at the dining hall and Jekyll stood to the side to let Nemo enter. Inside, they went to their respective places at the table and sat down. It was relatively empty; only one man was seated in the hall, with whom Nemo started conversing with after taking his place.

Dorian Grey. The man still made Jekyll wonder: despite betraying the League, he managed to clean his name and even regain the trust of the members. On the day when he had fought with Mrs. Harker, something had happened which neither of them wished to share with the League. Although the vampiress had departed with the firm conviction of killing the immortal, upon returning she had claimed that Mr. Grey was also a victim of M, playing the wolf among the sheep only because he had been threatened and that he deserved another chance to prove the League he was worthy of their forgiveness. But of course, the proud immortal would never admit to yielding to threats so he confessed that he had sinned and offered a sincere apology instead. At first the League was wary of Grey, still seeing the traitor in him but after a while all suspicions died down and now there were no traces left of the earlier ill-feelings.

_The cock sucking fop, I'd like to know how much of Nemo's cum he swallowed to worm himself back into the League. Acts all high and mighty but in reality he's just some damned vermin always crawling to the safest and most profitable side._

Except for Hyde. He was still bitter about the man and he was convinced that it was the two-faced immortal who humiliated Jekyll. Of course, the doctor fiercely refused any such idea, claiming that they should get over past grudges and that they had no good reason to suspect Mr. Grey. But in truth, Jekyll himself was vary of the polite man and tried his hardest to identify the voice of his attacker with Grey's but he had to come to terms with the fact that on that night his attacker used such a low and unusual tone that it would be impossible to unveil what he really sounded like.

_You should stop screwing around and woe the butt-boy! You can't be so pathetic that you're unable to do such an easy task!_

The doctor cringed at those harsh words. It only made them more painful that he knew them to be true; but he couldn't gather his courage to befriend the man. He felt overwhelmingly inferior to Grey because the immortal had all Jekyll could only wish for: charm, looks, a cool, collected personality and a way with words. He was what every woman dreamt of. The doctor secretly hoped that Grey would simply refuse to converse with him and drive him away with some kind of cold mockery, however humiliating that would be. But he knew it was unlikely to happen, for Grey was too much of a gentleman to turn away a polite chat, especially if in company. Skinner fancied that the League would be ticked of if the immortal hurt their poor doctor's feelings, though Jekyll had no idea where he got that notion from.

"Hey, doc, what ya moping over?"

Just think of the devil.

"Good Evening, Mr. Skinner." Jekyll greeted after seeing the painted face of the invisible man. The thief flopped down into the seat next to him and started examining the people sitting around the table. Then he turned back to Jekyll and only then did the doctor realize that he was waiting for his answer. "I was merely lost in thought, thank you for your concern."

"Seemed like some troublin' thoughts to me. Beastie pesterin' ya?"

Jekyll couldn't help but chuckle at that and had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud when Hyde – after a shocked pause – began cussing at the thief. Skinner just raised an eyebrow, asking what the doctor had found so funny. Usually even by the mention of his inner demon Jekyll got on alert and gave short, sputtered answers trying to change the topic quickly. Therefore it was fair to say that the thief was a little bit taken aback by his companion's sudden good humour.

"Ah, Mr. Hyde did not take well to your, shall I say… fitting nickname, and is now outraged at the fact that you dare to use a diminutive on him. He is also throwing in threats regarding your decease, but they are hardly credible when embedded in his childish fuming about the degrading appellation you utilized."

Skinner did not understand half of the worlds the scientist said, but what he did, quite surprised him. Dr. Henry Jekyll, joking about Hyde? The world must be coming to an end. But if so, Skinner at least wanted to have a good time, so he decided to go along with it. "Oh, have I hurt the poor baby's feelings?" he cooed.

"Yes, it seems you have." Jekyll answered, eyes sparkling with mirth. He had this uncharacteristic urge to do something bold and reckless and didn't even consider that Hyde will probably make his life more hellish than it already was because of this bit of much-needed fun.

"Aaw, bad me." The thief said this with such an overdone guilty expression that the doctor burst out laughing. The sudden sound caught the attention of the people present and they looked curiously at the pair. Skinner was acting like he was hurt at first, but gradually joined Jekyll, trying not to think about what Hyde looked like when hell-bent on revenge.

Mina Harker arrived to quite an unusual scene. The always reserved and polite Dr Jekyll laughing loudly with no other than Rodney Skinner, the rude and vulgar trouble-maker of the ship. Sawyer frozen in mid step on his way to the table, the ever-graceful Dorian Grey staring with a perplexed expression plastered over his face and Nemo looking on with comically wide eyes. It took all her self-control to stifle the chuckle that wanted to break free from her throat.

But the moment soon faded, when Jekyll realized he was drawing so much attention, and quickly quietened, embarrassed. Skinner soon followed suit, but grinned at the doctor's obvious discomfort and winked at him. Though the thief meant it as a reassuring gesture, it only made Jekyll even more flustered. Sawyer, sitting down across from the flushed doctor, opened his mouth to ask something but fortunately Jekyll was saved by the serving of dinner so he could focus all his attention on the food in front of him and avoid all questions.

During the whole meal, Hyde enumerated the various signs that made Skinner a likely suspect, most of which were insignificant; hidden meanings seen where there's none and exaggerated misinterpretations of friendly gestures. In the end, Skinner was still as likely to be his attacker as anyone else on board the Nautilus.

Another eventless day, another night of fruitless discussion.

* * *

_We could narrow down the range of suspects._

Jekyll raised his head at that. Hyde has been less talkative than usual that night, letting the doctor do a little background research for his project. Meaning, he could read the book borrowed from the Nautilus's library in relative silence.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?"

_I've been thinking. _So that's why he'd been so quiet. _Nemo's crewmen are just ordinary humans, whose fear I can easily smell. With a bit of effort, I could see what their very essence looked like and find out if there's anyone prone to molesting helpless saps. _

"I fear where this is leading…" Jekyll put his book down, already feeling a headache coming on.

_Chances are I can discover who the bastard is and get done with it! I need just one night to comb the crew, maybe even catch some suspicious vibes off the League._

"No."

_Come on, Henry, don't you wanna find the__asshole?_

"Of course I do. But I won't let you out. I don't want you going on a murderous rampage, especially not on board!"

_Spoilsport. _

Jekyll let out a heavy sigh, massaging his temple. It'd save him a lot of trouble if Hyde could tell who on the crew were likely to be his attacker, but he didn't want to betray the League. They expected him to keep his monster in control and not let him loose in the dead of the night.

_Just think about it, we could get miles closer to the truth!_

Jekyll stood up and started pacing in the room. Hyde always got what he wanted but this time he had to be strong because the consequences would be unimaginable, not only for others, but himself as well.

"I realize that much, thank you, but it doesn't change the fact that because of your perverse pastimes I would completely lose the League's trust and probably they would hand us over to the authorities the next time we touch land."

_They won't find out._

"Sure, it's pretty hard to notice a rotting corpse in a perfectly isolated submarine. And even if they do, it'd be impossible to tell who the culprit is for the ship is full of murdering maniacs. Yes, Edward, I'm positive they would _never_ find out."

_Don't be such a sissy! Do you take me for so much an idiot as to leave evidence? I'll be quick and stealthy, creeping into the dorms just to get a sniff and off I am! _

That was something new, Hyde choosing to do the sensible thing over the pleasurable. Provided he's being honest about his intentions, which is highly unlikely.

"You know I can't believe you Edward; you have deceived me too many times already."

_Look at me._

The request was simple, but still it took Jekyll a moment to register what Hyde was asking. It was surprising, coming from him, for it was always the doctor who wanted visual contact with his alter ego, thus making their sometimes bizarre conversations more palpable and real. Hyde only used mirrors as a way to torture and to manipulate Jekyll by constantly reminding him how horrid the darker side of his soul looked.

_Henry, look at me!_

Jekyll started, he must have spaced out during his musings. He looked over at his desk, where he kept a looking-glass, turned down. Deciding that there was no use trying to guess at Hyde's motives, he walked over to it defeated, and picked up the wooden-framed mirror. When he turned it, Hyde's eyes immediately met his. The earnest determination he saw in them surprised him and made him unable to turn away.

_Henry, you know we need to do this! There're too many people on this boat, we can't watch all of them!_

"I know" he whispered, and suddenly a wave of sadness swept over him. He wished he could trust Hyde; he wanted to believe in this new-found protectiveness his alter ego seemed to develop, but even if it was a something significant, he doubted that it'd be greater than his desire for sin.

_I'll be a good boy, no one will notice a thing! _

"Nemo will be furious…" Jekyll cast his eyes down, breaking eye-contact. He knew he'd give in at the end and he was ashamed of it.

_Henry._

The tone of Hyde's voice made him look up, meeting the beast's eyes again. They held such uncharacteristic seriousness and honesty that Jekyll started to believe it to be an optical trick caused by his tired mind.

_I swear._

* * *

The bright rays of sun forced Jekyll to open his eyes and do something about the bothering light. Namely, turn to his other side, so his back was facing the circular windows. Although just waken he felt worn out and his throbbing head didn't help at all. Groaning he tried to remember why he was lying on top of the bedcovers half-dressed. His eyes snapped open when he realized what had happened last night. A rush of panic came over him thinking of the consequences he would have to face today, but forced himself to calm down. It'd do no good to presume the worse without hearing Hyde out first. After all, there was a chance that nothing went wrong, however slim it may be.

The doctor sat up and looked out the window. It seemed to be early morning for the sun was low on the horizon. With a start he realized that he wasn't cold though he knew for a fact that the ship tended to get very chilly in the morning. That meant he had changed back only a few hours prior; for after the transformation his senses went havoc: being insensitive to certain things and overly so to others. He imagined it was what opium felt like, at least according to the studies he read. One day he should ask Hyde whether he felt the same way though he doubted it'd be anytime soon. He heard a low groaning, signalling that his alter ego has waken up too.

_Cover yourself, you'll catch a cold like that, dimwit._

But instead of doing as he was told, Jekyll got up and started dressing. He had better not sleep in late, for that was unlike him and it would catch the League's attention; especially so if there were any strange occurrences last night that would raise suspicion in itself.

Jekyll stopped suddenly; a realization has struck him that filled him with dread. As a side-thought it occurred to him that he was unnaturally slow in the mind today – but it could be attributed to after-effects of the change.

"Edward."

Hyde stopped groaning and nagging at Jekyll for having to rise so early and his silence told the doctor that he was listening.

"I can't remember what happened."

He took a deep breath – he considered whether it has been a good idea to tell Hyde; he would probably see this as an opportunity to commit even more dreadful things. But he had to confide in someone and he couldn't tell the League – he'd have to do too much explaining and in the end they'd only distrust him even more, presuming that he was losing control – although he himself feared that it was so.

_No need to fret about it, I just forced you unconscious. _

"What!" To say that Jekyll was surprised was an understatement. "How… How could you do that? And since _when_ can you do something like that?"

_No clue, you must've been tired. I tried it before, but the slightest excitement shook you up. But I was careful this time not to wake you - the last thing I needed was you freaking out in my head. _

Jekyll sighed in relief. He _was_ mentally exhausted when he took the potion; he only hoped Hyde was telling the truth. But it was still worrisome that Hyde could render him unconscious if he so wished; Jekyll had to make sure not to be in a weak state when giving in to his monster. Not because he could do anything to stop him – he had long ago given up on that – but to at least see whether Hyde kept his word or not. The last thing he needed was his alter ego deceiving him.

But for now he had no choice than to try to get the beast to confess – and hope he has been a 'good boy'.

"Did you find out anything?" And who have you hurt in the process of doing so?

_Yeah. The crew's clean; I checked all of the little suckers, not the slightest bit suspicious. So no need to play nice with them anymore. It's someone in the League._

"The League? A-are you sure?" Jekyll did not want to believe it however likely it seemed. On the surface he suspected them too, but deep down hoped that it would turn out that their slate was clean.

'_Course, just told you it's none of the crew. I also checked the League and I smelt decay in all of them – the kind only emitted by rotting souls capable of such perversions. _

"A-all of them? How is that possible? I-I mean, they can't be all _that_ bad…"

_Believe me, they all stink. They're inhuman, by natural or unnatural means, it doesn't matter. Their souls are by far filthier than the crew's._

"B-but they can't be the only… The crew, you couldn't have met _all_ of the crew in _one _night! There must be someone you missed…"

_No, Henry, I made sure to check everyone. I spent the whole bloody night creeping around the ship, damn it! I missed no one!_

"But… It can't be that the whole crew's soul is clean. Nemo recruited all kinds of criminals and fugitives – and you tell me that they all amended their ways of life?"

_Those bastards are not the lowest – never have been. Nemo was careful not take in the worst of the sick and vicious madmen. The crew's a bunch of saints among its kind. _

"But rape is not such a great sin, I mean, you don't have to be rotten to the core to commit it…"

Hyde growled lowly; he was getting tired of these useless questions. _You know nothing of these kinds of sins, but I do! Stop questioning me; at the moment it's thanks to _me_ we could take such great leap in finding that asshole! _

"There are so many people on board, you…"

_HENRY! _

Hyde's bestial roar scared Jekyll and shook him out of his senseless denial. When Hyde continued his tone was rough and frightening; Jekyll has never heard him speak in such an inhuman voice before. _Stop being a fool! You're off the point and you know it! It was one of your precious team-mates that fucked you! Accept it!_

"No…" He sat down on the bed. His shirt was hanging loosely on him, still unbuttoned. "It couldn't be…"

_Stop weeping! You should've realized this long ago, moron. It was quite obvious, all we needed was proof!_

Jekyll felt utterly used and humiliated. Someone he trusted, or at least thought he could trust, took advantage of his sense of security aboard the Nautilus. He thought that no harm could come to him here, that the League would protect his secret, protect others from his devil, protect him…

_You've always needed others to protect you. You're such a helpless wimp, you've always been. If it wasn't for me, you'd be long dead. You haven't got the natural alarms in your head, you don't notice when something stinks. This League's got your head full of this nonsense that you can do good, and you'll be safe from retribution. Do you really think that you'll gain forgiveness for your sins? That they'll just disappear and finally you'll be rid of them? Be rid of ME? Wake up, little prince! No matter what, I'll always be here! Because you're nothing without me!_

"Now you are away from the point."

_No, I'm not. I MAKE the point here_.

Jekyll frowned at that, his grief turning into anger. "Well, forgive me for having a glimmer of hope left in me! I'm capable of realizing my mistakes; I admit I've been wrong, so stop harassing me! Give me some peace of mind and shut up for once!" Jekyll was almost shouting at this point; momentarily silencing Hyde with his outburst.

"Just leave me alone…" He was quite ashamed of himself when his voice hitched and finally he gave into the sobs._Did you really believe it wasn't someone from the League who screwed you? _He covered his face with his hands and tried to stop the tears that flowed down his cheeks. _That's too naïve, even for a dimwit like you! _"Stop it…" Hyde's yelling at him was making him even more miserable, slowly building up a tension in him that threatened to burst out at any moment. _Are you living in some fucking fairy-land? Seems like your mind's even more fucked up than you let on. _"Please, stop." Hyde's words hurt Jekyll and their truthfulness drove him to the edge. _Let me tell you little prince, before you get lost in your dream-world: adults play dirty; only a child can give his trust blindly like you do._ "Enough…"_ Hold out your arm and there'll be someone to break it. Maybe this slap of reality will force some sense into your pitiful mind. _"It's not true…" He felt his reason slowly slip away from him._ You deserved what you got! _"No!"_You deserved this for your naivety. You all but spread your legs for that sick bastard! _

"IT'S NOT TRUE!" It finally pushed Jekyll over the edge driving him into a blind rage. His actions hardly registered, a mad fury drove him to do something, to do some _harm._ He sprang to his feet, grabbed the thing closest to him and threw it at the opposite wall. The book, which he snatched up from the nightstand, landed with a soft thud. It was not enough for Jekyll. He went over to his desk and started thrashing it, sending the chair flying after the book, throwing the ink bottles onto the floor and shattering them, and scattering the papers he could find.

Hyde was also blinded by anger and frustration, so he didn't realize that his alter ego lost touch with reality. Later he almost regretted still mocking Jekyll when the doctor was obviously in a great distress.

Almost.

* * *

A/N: I'd like to hear any ideas concerning the plotline! I've written a general outline of the story, but knowing myself, I'll change it at least five times until settling with a final version.  
I'd also like to hear what other pairings you'd like to see! I can't have the rest of the League staying lonely now, can I?


End file.
